THE BURNED OVER DISTRICT

Donald Trump likes to brag about what a yuge benefactor he is for all manner of recipients. However a little diligent journalistic digging has shown that The Great Orange Dookie is very generous with his pledges, it's the follow up check that seldom appears.

Over the years, Mr. Trump has billed himself as an “ardent philanthropist,” and his official biography says that he is “involved with numerous civic and charitable organizations.”

But the depiction of Mr. Trump as a generous benefactor has recently come into question amid a series of reports raising doubts about whether he has followed through on his lavish pledges, whether he misused the foundation that bears his name and whether he financially supports it at all.

Interviews with people who have worked with or solicited money from him, as well as years of publicly available charity records, paint a picture of Mr. Trump as a reluctant giver despite his wealth. Donations from his foundation, which in recent years has been exclusively financed by others, sometimes served his own needs while helping the recipients.

Jack O’Donnell, who was president and chief operating officer of Trump Plaza Hotel & Casino in the late 1980s, said Mr. Trump would question the need for donations, even those as small as a couple thousand dollars.

“He’d say ‘Why are we doing this?’ or ‘Do we have to give this much?’ ” said Mr. O’Donnell, who parted ways with Mr. Trump on bad terms and was described by the Trump campaign as a disgruntled former employee. “I don’t know how else to put it: He’s cheap.”

Mr. Trump’s philanthropic endeavors over the past four decades have been dotted with pledges to donate the proceeds from books or speeches. Sometimes, Mr. Trump has stepped in to help a person in need, with the cameras rolling. And Mr. Trump, usually accompanied by his wife, Melania, has been a familiar face at well-publicized benefit galas in New York and Florida, where the rich and famous mingle and are seen.

As long as Trump can get people to donate to his Foundation/Slush Fund, he will write some checks whether they be for charities or for bribes. If you expect any money to come from his own pocket, fuhgeddaboutit!